Mailing Systems Technology - November/December 2008 - (Page 31) do appreciate a wide range of mail they receive. They also report that mail makes a difference in their attitudes — and behaviors. When Misperception Becomes Legislation If consumers are misinformed about the environmental impact of mail but still value the role mail plays in their lives, should mailers be concerned? In a word, yes. By early 2008, seven states had already slated do-not-mail legislative agendas, including To date, none of these legislative proposals have passed, but the trend has certainly been noticed within the industry. Over the past year, for example, the Direct Marketing Association has launched a major campaign to encourage recycling while also educating mailers on steps they can take to be good corporate citizens. The DMA has also begun to incorporate environmental commitments into their membership requirements. Clearly, however, the responsibility for educating the public and improving mail many ways companies can embed environmental stewardship into their day-to-day operations. Fortunately, consumers are open to hearing more. According to the DM News/Pitney Bowes study, people consider a broad range of factors when making decisions, including the environment, convenience and cost. In most cases, they said their opinions of direct mail would improve if mailers took eco-friendly actions in the future. A DM News/Pitney Bowes study found that half of adults thought that advertising mail counted for 53% of the country’s municipal waste — the EPA reports that the actual figure is two percent. Hawaii, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. Some expect that number could reach 25 by year’s end, continuing a recent trend of heightened focus on mail and the environment. practices cannot be borne by industry associations. Each and every mailer needs to step up to the table to address both the misperceptions and the realities. Mail may not be the worst offender, but there are Paul Robbertz is Vice President of Environmental Health and Safety for Pitney Bowes Inc. To learn more about Pitney Bowes and the broad range of mailstream solutions they provide, please visit www.pb.com. a WWW.MAILINGSYSTEMSTECHNOLOGY.COM | NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2008 31 http://www.pb.com http://www.MailingSystemsTechnology.com http://www.MailingSystemsTechnology.com
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